The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-12-29
,NTELlleEncEoF ANTS.
Sir John Lubbock Investigates the Questic
of Their Affecfioas

Sir John Lubbock Investigates the Question
of Their Affections
| Sir John Lubbock delivered another
lecture on Ants in London recently.
The lecturer said that ants were of
much interest to the human race, be-
cause they-reproduced in so many re-
spects the conditions of our own lives.
When We considered their habits, their
social organization, their large COM
munities. their roadways, their posses
sion of domestic servants, and some
times. he was sorry 10 say, of slaves. it
must be admitted that they had fair
claim to rank in intelligence next to
man. 1t was difficult to determine
whether ants could be said to have any
actual affection for one another. He
related n number of experiments he
had conducted to ascertain the truth
in this respect. An ant which had in
iured her legs was fed and was carried
by her companions. Another ant that
had injured her antcnne in coming out
of chrysalis. being found by an ant OF
another nest, was attacked, and it was
with difficulty that the lecturer rescued
her; but being afterward found by an ant
belonging to the same nest. this ant.
after carefully examining her unfortu-
nate companion. took her up in her
mouth and carried her back to her
nest. Nobody had ever yet seen a quar-
re- between two ants of the same nest.
In one of his neSts he had number of
workers which lived to the age of seven
years. They gradually diminished in
number and at last only two re manned.
These two lived together for two years
and then died within 4 week of one
another. There appeared to be no ex-
ternal cause for this. and he was dis
posed to think that the survivor felt the
shock of her companions death.
Sir John said that he had now a
queen-ant, which had lived in ons Of |
his nests ever since 1874. She was
even then full-grown, and must, there
fore be nearly fourteen years old. She |
was, he believ ed, the Oldest insect on
record. and though he regretted to say
NAA'tO SA-O ~ tto HOO oO ttCIis = ttS y,
and was now little stiff in the Joints,
still, as far rs he was able to observe,
she was in perfect health. and he had
every hope that he would continue to
enjoy the pleasure of her society for
some time. He had tried experiments
to see If ants were capable of mutual
recognition. He kept ants of the same
nest apart for year and half, and on
putting them together again he found
hat there was mutual recognition. He
Vas afraid great many men forgot
heir friends in amuch less time. Desir-
'us to know by what signal, password
'r other means ants made their recogni-
ion, he reduced one set to insensibilitv.
;hloroform not answering the purpose.
le determined to make them drink. He ,
ound that the only way to make an I
mt drunk was not by enticing her to {
axe poisonous spirit. but by Eating {
Ter into whisky. He then made the I
ober ants approach the drunken ants.
1t first the former did not seem to .
now how to deal with the latter At {
ast one of the sober ants took up one
fthe drUnkards belonging to different !
est, looked at it, walked slowly to the
nd of the table and dropped her into +
ONE water that was there. The y
tranger ants were all taken and a
brown into the water, while the ants o
elonging to the same nest were car +
led back, where he had no doubt thev :
Oon recovered from the effects of the 9
rink. This experiment proved that +,
nts did not recognize one another BY f,
ny password, but it also proved that II
leir faculty Of recognition was unerr- "
lg. The lecturer proceeded to sketch h
lie senses and moral qualities of ants, +,
nd gave numerous Illustrations of their =.
fection among themselves, their :;
ostility toward ants belonging to Il
her nests, and their powe of in- =,
communication. 10 uisUiEic Courier - :,
)u1TGl. ~